Chair supported clothes rack



Oct. 26, 1954 R CALLAIS 2,692,688

CHAIR SUPPORTED CLOTHES RACK Filed March 26. 1952 A Z6 @Ti Patented Oct.26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel clothes rack of simple constructionwhich is detachably secured to the back rest and legs of a chair andsupported behind the chair to provide a rack for holding clothingwithout interfering with the normal use of the chair.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide arack on which all items of clothing removed at night may be convenientlyand neatly hung or supported in a manner to prevent wrinkling of theclothing and so that all items of wearing apparel will be readilyavailable for dressing, when desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack possessing novelfeatures of construction enabling it to be readily adjusted to fitchairs of different designs, having straight or sloping legs spaceddifferent distances apart.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a chair showing the clothes racksupported on the back thereof;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, with one ofthe parts omitted, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by theline 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantiallyalong a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure l, with one partomitted;

Fi ure 4 i a sectional view taken on the same plane as Figure 3 showingthe chair leg clamp in a different adjusted position;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View similar to a portionof Figure 2 but with the omitted part applied and illustrating anotheradjustment of the rack, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a spacing element for use with therack.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the novel clothes rack inits entirety is designated generally 1 and includes an elongated post orstandard 8 having a cross bar 9 at its upper end. A coat hanger memberIE) is disposed above the cross bar 9 and has corresponding downwardlyinclined ends I l the outer terminals of which preferably mergeintegrally with the ends of the cross bar 9. The coat hanger ID has acentrally disposed restricted upstanding neck I2 which provides asupport for an upper cross bar 13 which is disposed above the coathanger and spaced therefrom. A conventional type of double garment hookI4 is secured to and projects from each end of the upper cross bar I3. Areceptacle i5 is secured to and supported by the lower cros bar 9 and isdisposed intermediate of its ends and beneath the coat hanger Hi.

As best illustrated in Figure 2, the post or standard 8 has a series ofvertically spaced openings l6 extending therethrough from front to rearof said post, near its upper end for selectively receiving a bolt andnut fastening ii and a bolt and wing nut fastening E8. The bolts of thefastenings ll and i8 extend through openings IS in the shank 20 of achair back clamp 2| and then through selected openings IS. The heads ofthe bolts of the fastenings I1 and i3 bear against the outer front sideof the shank 20 and the nuts of the fastenings threadedly engage thebolts thereof and are disposed behind the post 8. A washer 22 ispreferably mounted on each fastening bolt between its nut and the post8. The chair back clamp 2| has an outwardly or forwardly offset lowerend forming its clamping element or jaw 23 and which is preferablyenclosed in a sleeve 24 of a suitable material to prevent marring of achair back. The lower fastening l8 which is equipped with a wing nut [8amay be loosened to enable the clamp element 23 to be displaced away fromthe post 8 so that the post may be disposed against the rear side of theupper portion 25 of a chair back and displaced downward- 1y relativelythereto to position the chair back portion 25 between a part of the post8 and the clamping jaw 23. The fastening I8 is then tightened to clampthe chair back portion 25 between the post 8 and clamping element 23 tothereby detachably mount the post or standard 8 on the chair back 25 andwith the cross bars 9 and i3 and coat hanger l0 disposed above the chairback. The distance between the top of the chair back and the lower crossbar 9 may be varied by selectively positioning the fastenings i1 and l 3in the openings !6.

The lower portion of the post 8 is provided with an elongated slot 26which opens outwardly of its front and rear sides from end-to-endthereof for receiving a bolt and wing nut fastening 27, the bolt ofwhich extends loosely therethrough and through the intermediate portionof a cross arm 28. The cross arm 28 is disposed crosswise of the post 3and is provided intermediate of its ends and in the side thereof whichabuts the post 8 with a transverse groove 29 having a sloping bed, asillustrated in Figure 2, which is inclined from the upper to the lowerend of said groove toward the post 8. The intermediate portion of thecross arm 28 is also provided with a transversely elongated slot 30which extends in the same direction as the slot 26, one end of whichopens into the intermediate portion of the groove 29 and the other endof which opens outwardly of the opposite side of the cross arm 28. Thebolt of the fastening 27 carries washers 22, one of which is disposedbetween the last mentioned, outer side of the cross arm 28 and the headof the bolt and the other of which is disposed between the wing nut 21aand the rear side of the post 8.

Each end of the cross arm 28 is.provided with an elongated slot 3| whichopens outwardly of its front and rear sides to receive twobo-lt and wingnut fastenings 32 and 33., the boltsofwhich extend loosely through andare slidably disposed in the slot 3|. The bolt of the fastening 33' islonger than the bolt of the fastening 32, and said bolts extend throughrelatively'thinend portions 34 and 35 of an. elongated: clamp supportingmember, designated generally 36, which is disposed against the forwardside of. an end of the arm 23 and longitudinally thereof. Each end ofthe arm 28 has a clamp support 36 connected thereto by a pair offastenings 32 and 33.. Each clamp support 38 has a portion 31 disposedbetween the end portions 34 and 35 andwhich is thickened on the outerside of said support. The fastenings 32 and 33 are spaced approximatelyequal distances from the thickened portion 31, and as seen in Figures 3and.4, the end portion 34 is considerably longer than the end. portion.

35. Furthermore, said portions 34 and 35 may be of the same or differentthicknesses but of a thickness less than the portion. 31. A nut and boltfastening 38 extends through and outwardly of the portion 3.1 and hasthe headof the bolt thereof countersunk in the portion. 31'. The bolt ofthe fastening 38 extends through an opening 39 in the shank end 4|] of aclamp element 4|, which shank end is secured against the outer orforward side of the projection 37:. The clamp element 4| has anoutwardly offset opposite end 42 forming a clampjaw which is coveredwith. a sleeve 43 of a suitable material. to prevent marring of one ofthe rear chair legs 44 or a chair leg 44a. The bolt of. the longerfastening 33 extends loosely through the shank 40 near the jaw 42 andeither through the end portion 34 or the end portion 35, depending uponwhich of said end portions the shank 40 overlies, as illustrated inFigures 3 and 4.

Assuming that the post 8 has been clamped near its upper end tov theupper portion of the chair back, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 andas previously described, the nut 21a of the fastening 2'! can beloosened to position the cross arm 28 at a desired level below the chairseat 45. If the chair legs 44 are substantially parallel and extenddownwardly from. beneath the seat 45, as illustrated in Figure 1, theclamp supports 36 are positioned as illustrated in Figure 3 with theclamps 4| overlying the shorter support ends 35 and with the jaws 42extending outwardly therefrom. The fastenings 33 of the two clampsupports 36 are loosened and the fastenings 32 are also loosened so thatthe supports 36 may be slid from the inner ends of the slots 3|outwardly until the two rear legs 44 are engaged between the ends of thecross arm 28 and the clamp jaws 42, as illustrated in Figure 3. Thefastenings 32 and 33 of the two supports 36 are then tightened so thatthe rear chair legs 44 are clamped between the ends of the cross arm 28and the clamp jaws 42. If the chair legs are spaced further apart, asillustrated in Figure 4, the supports 36 are reversed and for end sothat their longer end portions 34 constitute the outer ends of saidsupports and the clamps 4| are likewise disposed to overlie said longerends 34. With the fastenings 32 and 33 loosened, the rear legs 4411 maybe engaged between the outer portions of the longer ends- 34', whichproject beyond the ends of the cross arm 28 and the jaws 42 and may beclamped therein by tightening the fastenings 33, after the fastenings 32have been tightened for clamping the supports 36in their adjustedpositions on the ends of the cross arm 28. It will thus be seen that thesupports 36 enable the cross arm to be anchored to. the rear legs ofchairs which are spaced a greater distance apart than the length of.said cross arm while providing a cross arm, the length of which is suchthat it will not protrude sufiiciently beyond rear legs of chairs whichare spaced relatively close together, thus preventing the cross arm endsfrom forming 0bstructions when attached to closely spaced rear chairlegs.

For legs of larger cross section than the legs 44 and 44a, one or morespacing blocks 46, as illustrated in Figure 6, may be interposedbetween. the enlargement 31 and shank 40 of each clamp 4| and attachedthereto by the fastening 38 which may, extend through the opening 41 ofthe spacing block 46. One or more of the blocks 46 may also be usedbetween the post 3 and shank 2!] of the clamp 2| with the fasteningextending through the opening 41 thereof for spacing the. clamp jaw. 23.a greater distance from the post 8 to accommodate a thicker chair backportion.

Frequently the rear surface of the upper portion of a chair back slopesupwardly and rearwardly so. that the post 8 when clamped thereto is.inclined downwardly and inwardly with respect to the rear chair legsvand frequently the rear chair legs are inclined downwardly andrearwardly from the chair seat so that in either instance the lowerportion of the post 8 extends downwardly in. converging relationshiprelatively to. the plane of the rear chair legs. For mounting the rackon such a chair, it is desirable that the cross arm 28 have its surfacewhich engages the rear legs or is disposed adjacent thereto, disposedparallel to the portions of the rear legs adjacent. to which said;surface is disposed. To accomplish this, a wedge block 48, asillustrated in Figure 5, is. provided to cant the cross arm 28relatively to. thelongitudinal axis of the post 8. The wedge block 48.tapers in thickness from its upper to its lower end and includes a flatinner surface 49 which abuts against the front side of the post 8 and aninclined outer surface 50 which extends downwardly in convergingrelationship to the surface 49. The wedge block 48 is of a width to fitinto the groove 29 with its outer surface 58 abutting the bed of saidgroove so that as the wedge block 48 is displaced downwardly relativelyto the cross arm 28 said cross arm is canted so that its upper portionis disposed more remote from the post 8 than its lower portion, to thuscant its forward surface so that it will be disposed parallel to theadjacent portions of the rear legs of a chair. The wedge block 48 isprovided with an elongated slot 5| to loosely accommodate the bolt ofthe fastening 27.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the upper portion ofthe rack l which may be disposed at difierent elevations, as desired,above the upper edge of a chair back rest may be readily utilized forsupporting all of the normal articles of wearing apparel removed beforegoing to bed, and a coat or coat and vest may be hung on the coat hangerportion I in the same manner as a coat or coat and vest are suspendedfrom a conventional coat hanger. The trousers or skirt and undergarmentsmay be hung neatly folded over the upper cross bar 13 and small items ofwearing apparel such as a necktie, hose, brassiere, panties et ceteramay be hung from the two hooks Hi. The receptacle I may be utilized tocontain a billfold, watch, change, cuff links and the like. It will thusbe readily apparent that all the garments may be supported by theclothes rack l in a neat convenient manner to avoid wrinkling of theclothing and that the chair, on which the rack I is secured, may stillbe utilized in a conventional manner.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously beresorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventionas hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a chair supported clothes rack, a substantially upright clotheshanger supporting post adapted to be detachably mounted in substantiallyan upright position on a chair and disposed therebehind, said post beingprovided adjacent to and spaced from its upper end with an adjustabledownwardly opening clamp adapted to be clamped to the upper portion ofthe back rest of the chair for clamping an upper portion of the postthereto, a crossarm secured to the lower portion of the postintermediate of the ends of said crossarm and disposed transverselythereof, clamping units mounted on the ends of said crossarm and adaptedto be detachably clamped to the rear legs of the chair for detachablysecuring the crossarm to the rear chair legs to support and brace thelower end of the post, each of said cross arm clamping units including aclamp support adjustably mounted on an end of the cross arm foradjustment longitudinally thereof including an outwardly projectingintermediate portion and e nd portions of different lengths, means foradjustably mounting said support with either of said end portions in anoutermost position, a clamp member having a shank end secured to saidintermediate portion of the support and overlying either of said endportions, said clamp member having a free end defining a jaw disposed tocooperate with either an end portion of the cross arm or the longer endof the clamp support for clamping a rear chair leg therebetween, andmeans for drawing the jaw of the clamp member inwardly relatively to thesupport and cross arm into clamping engagement with the chair leg.

2. In a chair supported clothes rack as in claim 1, said longer end ofthe support extending beyond an end of the cross arm in one adjustedposition of the support for cooperation with the clamp jaw to secure thecross arm to a rear chair leg spaced outwardly from an adjacent end ofthe cross arm.

3. In a chair supported clothes rack as in claim 1, and means adjustablyand detachably mounted between the crossarm and post for canting thecrossarm relative to the axis of the post to position a surface of thecrossarm disposed adjacent the rear chair legs in a plane substantiallyparallel to the plane of the adjacent portions of the chair legs towhich the crossarm is secured.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSGermany June 7, 1938

